


A little hashtag goes a long way

by NightLady



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-28 18:21:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,482
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15712563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightLady/pseuds/NightLady
Summary: Mildred only wanted to share pictures of her life at Cackle's with Mum through Instagram. How did it snowball into an entire hashtag filled with photos of Miss Hardbroom?





	A little hashtag goes a long way

**Author's Note:**

> This began as a silly ficlet on my Tumblr. Following the generous comments I got on that post, I decided to continue it, and this is the result. I wrote this purely out of the fun of it, and I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it.

Mildred Hubble couldn’t understand why, but trouble seemed to find her no matter how much she tried to stay out of it. In her defense, she had only wanted to update Mum on her school life, just not with the normal witching way. After all, Mum doesn’t really have magic, and mirrors don’t really show everything, do they? Mildred had simply thought that it would be best if she could just show her Mum everything, the non-witching way! It all worked out well enough, until Maud, Enid, and Felicity discovered what she had been doing.

 

And so, one way or another, her three friends got hold of their own smartphones, and Mildred had proceeded to show them how to create their own Instagram accounts, as well as how to use Instagram. Indeed, they’d likely be expelled if Miss Hardbroom ever found out about it, but she’d been using her phone for months now, surely it would be possible to keep a couple of smartphones out of the Deputy Headmistress’ radar?

 

Boy, was she wrong. She should’ve known that Felicity would spread the word, that it would lead to everyone else getting their own smartphones and Instagram accounts. That was the least of their problems though. What was snowballing into something completely out of Mildred’s control was the fact that Miss Hardbroom has somehow become the main subject of the students’ photos. Not only was there a hashtag  _(#hecabae)_  created out of it, there also existed a competition amongst the students to see who would be able to capture the most unique shots of the strict potions mistress. Mildred had no idea how a little harmless smartphone usage had snowballed into this. She shuddered to even think about what Miss Hardbroom would do to her if she ever found out about this.

++++++++++

 

Pippa Pentangle prided herself on being a modern witch, and that includes familiarising herself with the recent technological advances in the non-witching world. So, yes, she has a smartphone, and perhaps she may be  _slightly_  hooked on several social media platforms, but this was all highly important research for modern magic, right?

 

She probably shouldn’t have been surprised (she was the one who created it, after all) to find that a certain Instagram hashtag that she’d use eons ago was now filled with extremely interesting photos of a woman who has held her heart for as long as she remembers. She’d thought that no one in Cackle’s used Instagram and assumed that it would be harmless to tag a photo she had secretly taken of Hecate with an obscure hashtag that only Pippa would be familiar with. She just wanted to be able to return to the photo easily, considering that it was the only recent one that she had of Hecate, and her Instagram feed was updated so frequently. And now… _well_ , now she has hundreds of quirky photos of her heart’s desire to get through before reaching her photo, but she has no complains about it.

 

Settling down with a cup of tea in one hand and her phone in the other, Pippa set to unwind for the day with a glimpse of the tag on Instagram. She just needed to see if there was anything new, and it wouldn’t take very long. She should have just enough time to browse through Instagram and Pinterest before Hecate’s arrival at Pentangle’s.

 

The blonde witch was met with countless photos of the austere woman dressed in her signature black outfits. With a wide grin plastered across her face, she slowly scrolled through the photos of  _her_  Hiccup, taking the time to study the little details, and attempting to feed the yearning in her heart. The photos may not all be flattering, but they were all very much Hecate and that was all Pippa needed.

 

Tapping on a particularly interesting photo of Hecate with her eyes wide and nostrils flared, Pippa couldn’t help but let slip a soft chuckle as she shook her head. She certainly _must_ find out who this @softbroomfan user was at Cackle’s. How did the girl even take such a close-up shot of Hecate without the woman noticing? Whoever she was, Pippa would _love_ to learn some of her clandestine photography skills.

 

“Well met, Pip-  _What. Is. That? Where did you get that?_ ”

 

++++++++++

 

Hecate's sudden appearance and exclamation had startled Pippa into dropping the phone. To the blonde's dismay, Hecate had proceeded to snap the phone up from where it lay on the ground before Pippa could even begin reaching for it.

 

Pippa watched as Hecate stared down at the photo. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, steam literally shooting out from her ears. With her nostrils flared, much like the photo in front of them, Pippa couldn't help but giggle at the similarities. Hecate was simply far too adorable at times, even if the woman was boiling mad at the moment. Her laughter died in her throat, however, when she realised that Hecate's eyes had snapped up to throw her a sharp glare.

 

"Would you care to explain what this is?" Hecate questioned with a raise of an eyebrow, phone held out in front of her.

 

With a shrug and a soft smile directed towards the deputy, Pippa stood up and moved closer, wrapping one arm around Hecate's waist. Hecate had stiffened initially, before unconsciously leaning into the embrace, melting their bodies together as much as possible, and Pippa felt as though her heart could burst from her affection for the other woman. Sliding her free hand over Hecate's, the blonde attempted to pry her phone out of the potions mistress' hands but to no avail. The dark-haired witch had a vice-like grip over it.

 

"Well, it's a smartphone. You'd be surprised at how useful modern technology can be, even if the people who created them may not have magic."

 

"I'm perfectly familiar with what a mobile phone is," Hecate drawled. "What I'm referring to is this photo that was clearly not taken by you. I am rather certain that you were not present during this particular class of mine. How did you come across it?"

 

Sensing that she was going to have an extremely difficult time trying to wriggle herself out of the conversation – Hecate can be rather persistent – Pippa relented. She figured that considering how many photos of Hecate were in that tag, it was highly likely that nearly the entirety of Cackle's Academy was in on it. Surely Miss Cackle wouldn't allow Hecate to expel the entire school? Besides, she was fairly certain that Dimity Drill was also an active contributor to the tag, and even Ada Cackle herself had used it once or twice. Pippa follows both of their accounts. She _knows_.

 

With a sigh, Pippa sat back down on the couch, drawing Hecate down with her. The Headmistress had a feeling that this was going to be a rather long conversation, and she'd very much rather be comfortable for that.

 

"This is Instagram. It's a social media platform where people, particularly non-magical people, even if there is a fair share of witches and wizards on it, share their photos with others," she began, releasing her grip on the phone and tracing her index finger over Hecate's fingers instead. The dark-haired woman shuddered at the touch, but Pippa simply chose to ignore it and continued her explanation.

 

"I've been using it for awhile to share my own photos, mostly of little things like donuts, a good book that I've read, and pretty things like… flowers…" _And you._

 

Hecate couldn't help but interrupt, "That still does not explain the photo of me, however." Drawing the phone closer to her, she studied the caption.

 

> **softbroomfan** #hecabae got reaaaally mad when we mixed up feather of crow and feather of raven during potions today. Makes me miss #MissSoftbroom :/

 

"Beatrice Bunch. Of course!" Hecate bit out with a scoff. "I'm going to have a word with Ada about the girl when I get back. Unauthorised use of _and_ possession of a prohibited item on campus! Detention for the rest of her years at the academy barely covers it. Ada's going to need to be strict about this. I'll ensure that. Perhaps I should suggest expulsion–"

 

"Whoa! Hold up, Hiccup! You aren't going to get a student expelled for that! She isn't even the only one posting these! The entire _#hecabae_ tag is filled with those, and I have no doubt that Miss Cackle is aware of this too!" Pippa couldn't help but pipe in immediately at the mention of the possibility of a student getting expelled for this, particularly when she wasn't the only one responsible for the photos. It would've been unfair to the young girl to be punished for something that the headmistresses of two academies have condoned to go on for this long.

 

"What _#hecabae_ tag? Ada knows about this? What is a tag? Are you referring to this highlighted word here?"

 

Hecate had jabbed one finger at the word in question, and before Pippa could cover the screen with her hand, they were redirected to a page filled with photos of Cackle's Deputy Head. The potions mistress looked like she was about to have an aneurysm.

 

"Well, that's a tag you just tapped on?" Pippa started tentatively. "It's a way of classifying things belonging to a certain topic."

 

"Why are pictures of me classified under _#hecabae_? What does that even mean? If I find out who created that… it's Mildred Hubble, isn't it? It _has_ to be that wretched girl. She's the only student from a non-magical family who would be familiar with whatever this is. She probably started it all."

 

Pippa shot her an affronted look and huffed. "Hiccup! You can't just blame every little thing on the girl! Besides, I created that as a term of endearment. However, I have to say, I have no idea how the students came by the tag."

 

"Do you remember the day we had that picnic out in the clearing near the cottage? It was the day you kissed me—"

 

"I did no such thing. You kissed me first." Hecate's face was tinged a light shade of pink. Pippa chose to overlook the interruption and leaned in to plant a light kiss upon her cheek instead.

 

"I'm not sure I remember the events that occurred that day quite the same way," the pink witch hummed. "Either way, you looked so beautiful and relaxed, I couldn't resist sneaking a picture. And well, people were using 'bae' as a term of endearment, a short-form for 'babe', if you will. So, I posted the photo on my Instagram, and tagged it with _#hecabae_ , because well, you're my bae."

 

"So, to be fair, I created the tag. Your students just took advantage of it. They're just having a little fun." Pippa's lips tilted up into a mischievous smile. She couldn't help but tease, "Besides, only half of the images are unglamorous, and you're their bae too!"

 

"I most certainly am not! Pippa Pentangle, I swear, if you start calling me 'babe', or goddess forbid, _'bae'_ , you can forget about seeing me here at Pentangle's for at least a month!"

 

"Well, darling, I'll just visit you at Cackle's then." Pippa grinned. "And you most certainly are. You really have no idea how many students look up to you, do you? Here, just look at this."

 

With a few quick taps, the blonde drew up @softbroomfan's account, and scrolled to a specific image of Hecate gazing softly at her students with a small smile.

 

"Just read the caption and the comments," Pippa urged gently.

 

> **softbroomfan** Yet another disaster averted at Cackle's today! All thanks to @milliehubble as usual. #hecabae even smiled! SHE SMILED AND I CAUGHT IT!!! Surely I win this week, with this little #Softbroom snap!
> 
> View all 50 comments
> 
> **milliehubble** Aww, Miss Hardbroom is so pretty when she smiles :)
> 
> **SybHallow** @EsmeHallow says that she really cares for us, even if she can be scary sometimes. And I can see that.
> 
> **PipsPentangel** Well, @EsmeHallow is right, if I say so myself. Miss Hardbroom secretly adores all of you, even if she doesn't really show it. :3
> 
> **FlissBliss** Miss Pentangle??? You're on Instagram???!!! EEP!!! @PipsPentangel
> 
> **milliehubble** @PipsPentangel Miss Pentangle?
> 
> **softbroomfan** @PipsPentangel Miss Pentangle??

 

"They aren't really indicative of anything."

 

"Really, Hecate? The remaining comments on that post are mostly along the lines of 'Aww, _#hecabae_ '. Some of them even come with heart emojis! Surely they must mean something?"

 

"Maybe they were influenced by you piping in with that comment. It doesn't excuse the fact that they were doing something against school rules."

 

Pippa sighed. "Hiccup, do you trust me?"

 

Hecate turned to look at the blonde questioningly. "Of course, I do, Pipsqueak."

 

"Then why won't you believe me when I tell you that the students adore you and they mean no harm? I've been in the tag for _ages_ and I have only seen a small handful of nasty posts about you. Everything else, no matter how unflattering the photo, had a kind comment to make up for it. And even the nasty posts didn't stay up for long, likely due to how rapidly the students reported those posts or dealt with them themselves," Pippa explained, her voice laced with frustration.

 

"You can't punish them for a little harmless fun, Hecate."

 

The deputy swallowed, hastily blinking away the tears that were threatening to fall. "Very well. But I would like to put a stop to this."

 

"Yeah, about that, I'd rather you don't?"

 

At Hecate's confused glance, Pippa continued, "You see, when I started the tag, I only had one photo of you to stare at on my phone, Hiccup. I'm sure you can imagine how difficult that can be when we can only meet on weekends, even with our nightly mirror chats. Then these students start posting countless photos of you daily, and it has just made things so much easier for me."

 

"Can we just allow this to go on, please, Hiccup? I promise I won't let it get out of hand," Pippa pleaded. She rested her chin on Hecate's shoulder, staring up at her, going as far as to even pout.

 

With a heavy sigh, the dark-haired woman relented. "Very well. But only for you, Pipsqueak."

 

The pink witch squealed happily, pressing a kiss against her love's lips. She was about to deepen the kiss, however, when Hecate pulled back.

 

"What is this?" Hecate questioned with a frown. Her eyes were locked on the smartphone's screen. Pippa glanced down and was met with her wallpaper – a photo of Hecate with her hair down, leaning against the wall with a stalk of rose in her mouth.

 

"Oh, this? That's just Miss Softbroom. Someone managed to retrieve it from one of Felicity Foxglove's maglet publications. Nifty spell work too, I've discovered. Now, shut up and kiss me, Hiccup."


End file.
